It was clear Oladipo was in pain the second it happened: With 5:52 left in the Heat’s win over the Lakers, he went up for a wide-open dunk, and when Oladipo landed he was grabbing his knee in pain. Soon after he was out of the game and limping back to the locker room.
Now we have the first sign of how serious this issue might be — Oladipo is not accompanying the Heat on a four-game road trip and will have further evaluation of his knee in that time, the team announced.
UPDATE: Victor Oladipo will not be accompanying the team on the west coast road trip and will be further evaluated.
— Miami HEAT (@MiamiHEAT) April 9, 2021
That’s not much detail, and it is concerning for a player with a history of leg injuries.
In the short term, expect a lot more Kendrick Nunn for Miami.
Oladipo has struggled to find a role on the Heat since coming to them at the trade deadline. He is averaging 12 points a game (down from 21 in Houston) and is shooting 37.2% overall and 27.5% from three. He has not looked comfortable being a No. 2 or 3 option (behind Jimmy Butler and Bam Adebayo).
Oladipo is a free agent this offseason.